K-POP A To Z: The Definitive K-Pop Encyclopedia

By Bina Lee

Everything You Could Possibly Need to Know about Korean Pop Music!
K-POP is popping up everywhere! Korea’s infectious and high-energy pop music and entertainment scene is a relatively young phenomenon in the West, and it is rapidly gaining traction. Don’t be left out of the phenomenon. This book will help you learn the K-Pop lingo, culture, and important facts about the top stars of the industry, including:

• What it means when someone is your “Bias”
• Who has the best “Eye-smile” in the industry
• What exactly “Call” means
• Why you should avoid being a “Sasaeng fan”
• When G-Dragon started training for K-Pop stardom
• The meaning behind BTS’s name
• Where Wanna One got their start
• And much more!

Impress all your “Koreaboo” friends with the knowledge you gain in K-Pop A to Z!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Racehorse
• Release date: Feb 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781631584480

Bina Lee

Bina Lee is a Korean-Canadian residing in Toronto, Ontario. She graduated from the University of Toronto, specializing in English Literature. SInce then, she's found her passion in writing, reading, and living all things K-pop and has been a popular contributor to a leading website, soompi.com since 2014. Covering a wide range of topics and stories, Bina's features have generated thousands of likes, comments, and views with close to 10,000 Instagram followers who love to hear her opinion. Bina's passion for Korean culture shines through in her writing with an uncanny ability to recognize and report on the latest K-pop trends.

Book preview

PREFACE

I distinctly remember being in seventh grade when I got my first real taste of K-pop. For me, it was one of South Korea’s first ever, super popular boy bands, H.O.T, and the song Candy that had me hooked. Simply put, I was in love! Little did I know that what I was listening to in seventh grade would remain a lifelong passion of mine. I’m so glad that I have this opportunity to share this with you through this encyclopedia! Maybe you are a longtime supporter of K-pop and want to learn more. Or quite possibly, you’re a new listener and BTS’s smash hit Mic Drop has you hooked just like H.O.T did so many years ago for me. Either way, if K-pop is your old thing or new love, this is the perfect book for you.

K-pop is the monster genre of the Korean culture that has gathered an enormous following both inside and outside of South Korea. Although it has been around for decades, it has grown exponentially in recent years with fans from all over the world loving and appreciating this particular aspect of South Korean culture. K-pop groups like BTS, BIGBANG, and Girls’ Generation have put South Korea on the international pop-culture map. There’s something about K-pop, from the cool concepts to the roles of each group member, all the way down to their amazing choreography and fashion, that we just can’t seem to get enough of! This encyclopedia was designed to educate both those who are just starting to fall in love with K-pop and those who just can’t seem to get enough! Regardless of which category you fit into, it’s a great book to have in your collection if you’re a die-hard K-pop fan. I truly hope this guide is fun to read and helps you navigate the ever-evolving K-Pop subculture that continues to take the world by storm.

A.C.E, which stands for Adventure Calling Emotions, was founded under the company Beat Interactive in May of 2017. The members include Jun, Donghun, Wow, Kim Byeongkwan, and Chan. The first song they released when they first debuted was called Cactus.

Jun and Chan auditioned for the reality series The Unit, and Chan was able to make it to the final group, which was called UNB. He was promoting with UNB while his other members released a repackaged album on June 7, 2018 titled Adventures in Wonderland.

Aegyo is a form of physical expression where you overemphasize displays of cuteness. There are various songs and actions that commonly show this aegyo amongst the Korean entertainment industry. A lot of artists are put on the spot to show their aegyo on various variety shows and programs as it is said to be a form of expression that fans enjoy seeing.

After School was formed under the company Pledis Entertainment. They debuted in January 2009 with the song AH!

Because the concept of the group is an admission and graduation system, the members of the group have constantly been changing. The original members of After School were Soyoung, Bekah, Kahi, Jooyeon, and Jungah. Other members who were part of the group include Kaeun, Lizzy, Nana, E-Young, UEE, and Raina. The current members are Raina, Nana, E-Young, and Kaeun.

After School Club is a popular Internet-based music show. Jang Han-Byul and Eric Nam were the hosts of the show when it first aired in 2013, but the show has gone on to have various other hosts—some of which are K-pop idols. The show brings popular K-pop idols and groups onto the show and then connects them with fans from all over the world. It’s a great platform for the fans to ask their favorite groups and group members some questions and request them to do fun things.

A term used to express oneself when you are frustrated or when you make a mistake. It is equivalent to saying, oh no! or oops.

E.g., Aigoo! I dropped my glass of water!

Ailee is a Korean American singer who was born in Denver, Colorado on May 30, 1989. She grew up in New Jersey and moved to South Korea to pursue her singing career in 2010. She signed under YMC Entertainment and released her single, Heaven, in 2012. Ailee gained a lot of popularity, especially through her YouTube channel where she uploaded various covers of songs. When she dropped her first album, VIVID, in September of 2015, there was a lot of anticipation and excitement, especially considering her powerhouse vocal abilities. Her natural ability to sing so flawlessly brought her the opportunity to sing on various variety shows and be featured on various OSTs.

Akdong Musician is a K-pop duo that is signed under YG Entertainment. This brother-sister duo were participants on the second season of the reality singing show K-Pop Star in 2012. Lee Chan-Hyuk was recognized for his songwriting abilities and Lee Su-Hyun was noted for her natural singing ability. After they won the program, they decided to sign with YG Entertainment.

On April 7, 2014, Akdong Musician’s highly anticipated album was released. The title of the album was Play and they released three music videos for the three songs they were promoting. The first song they promoted was titled 200%, which was chosen by the CEO of YG, Yang Hyun Suk. It won the Song of the Year Award at the Melon Music Awards as well as the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards.

Akdong Musician released their first EP, titled Spring, on May 4, 2016, and then their second studio album, Winter, was released on January 3, 2017. Their song Last Goodbye won them the Digital Bonsang at the Golden Disc Awards in 2018, as well as the Song of the Year at the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards.

When a K-pop song is released by an artist or group and becomes number one on all of the major music charts in South Korea at the same time.

AllKpop is a K-pop website that covers news pertaining to the K-pop world. It also provides a forum for fans to leave comments and engage with each other.

Amoeba Culture is a record label that was founded in 2006 by the hip-hop duo Dynamic Duo. Their label focuses on R&B and rap artists, and is home to several popular artists, such as Primary, Crush, and Rhythm Power.

Name for the fandom of K-pop boy group Teen Top. The previous unofficial name for their fans was Andromeda; however, the group officially dubbed their fans as Angels.

Antenna Music is a record label that was founded by producer Yoo Hee-Yeol in 1997. The agency houses solo artists Sam Kim, Kwon Jin-Ah, Jung Seung-Hwan, Lee Jin-Ah, Lee Soo-Jung, and Park Sae-Byul.

In the K-pop world, people who are against a specific K-pop group or artist are called antis. These people usually like to exude their distaste and hate for certain groups and artists online by posting negative comments.

AOA, which is an acronym for Ace of Angels, is signed under FNC Entertainment. The group debuted in 2012 and originally started with eight members: Jimin, Yuna, Hyejeong, Mina, Seolhyun, Chanmi, Choa, and Youkyung. Choa left the group in 2017 and Youkyung left the group in 2016, making AOA a six-member group.

On February 6, 2014, AOA won first place for the first time on the music program Inkigayo for their song Miniskirt. The group released their first mini-album on June of 2014, promoting their title song, Short Hair. The album ranked number one on various charts. They released their second mini-album, Like a Cat, on November 11, 2014, and got their second win on Show Champion for the title song of the same name. On January 2, 2017, AOA released their first full album in Korea, titled Angel’s Knock.

AOA Black is a sub-unit group of AOA. The original members were Jimin, Yuna, Mina, Youkyung, and Choa, but Youkyung and Choa have since left the group. On July 26, 2013, their debut single album, titled Moya, was released.

AOA Cream is a sub-unit group of AOA that was formed in 2016. The members are Yuna, Hyejeong, and Chanmi. On February 11, 2016, they debuted with the single titled I’m Jelly Baby.

AOMG, which stands for Above Ordinary Music Group or Always On My Grind, is a record label that was founded by Jay Park. The artists under the agency include Cha Cha Malone, DJ Wegun, DJ Pumpkin, Elo, Gray, Hep, Hoody, Loco, Simon Dominic, Ugly Duck, Woo Won-Jae, Chan Sung-Jung, and Code Kunst. Simon Dominic was originally a cofounder, but stepped down in July of 2018 to focus on his music. The agency is known mainly for producing R&B and rap songs.

The artists in the agency have gone on several tours across America and South Korea and continue to rise in popularity.

Apink is a girl group signed under Plan A Entertainment (formerly known as A Cube Entertainment). The group initially had seven members, but one of the members, Hong Yoo Kyung, left the group in 2013. The remaining six members are Park Cho-Rong, Yoon Bo-Mi, Jung Eun-Ji, Son Na-Eun, Kim Nam-Joo, and Oh Ha-Young.

The group made their debut in 2011 with their title song, I Don’t Know, off their mini-album, Seven Springs of Apink. On January 5, 2012, they got their first music program win for their song My My on the music program M Countdown. Since then, they have released two more studio albums in Korea: Pink Memory in 2015 and Pink Revolution in 2016. Their Japanese albums were Pink Season (2015) and Pink Doll (2016).

Apink has been consistent in releasing chart-topping hits and have been recognized for their success by winning several impressive awards. They won Best New Female Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2011, the Digital Bonsang at the Golden Disc Awards in 2014, and the Bonsang Award at the Seoul Music Awards in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

The group has also been quite active on variety shows and dramas. They’ve been guests on popular shows like Running Man, 2 Days & 1 Night, Ask Us Anything, Weekly Idol, and We Got Married. A few of the members have also starred in various Korean dramas.

April is a girl group that is signed under DSP Media. The original members of the group were Hyunjoo, Naeun, Yena, Somin, Chaewon, and Jinsol. In August of 2015, the six members debuted with the release of their EP titled Dreaming. A few months later, Somin left the group.

In April of 2016, the five members released their second EP, titled Spring. In October that same year, Hyunjoo left the group and was replaced by two new members, Chaekyung and Rachel. In early 2017, the new group released their third EP, titled Prelude, and then their fourth EP, Eternity, in September. That same year, April won the K-Pop Artist Award at the 25th Korean Culture & Entertainment Awards.

ARMY is the name given to the large fandom belonging to BTS. The meaning of ARMY is twofold. ARMY is an acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. The second meaning is the literal meaning of army, which coincides with what BTS stands for, which is Bulletproof Boy Scouts. BTS is a group that wants to shine light on the importance of youth and their army are the ones supporting them. An army can not be without their bulletproof armor.

As One is an R&B duo that debuted in 1999. The members are Lee Min and Crystal. The first album they released was titled Day By Day, which was received very well by the public. They have gone on to release five more studio albums and are currently under the agency Brand New Music.

A.S. Red & Blue were special unit groups of After School. A.S. Red included members Kahi, Jungah, Uee, and Nana. A.S. Blue consisted of Jooyeon, Raina, Lizzy, and E-Young. They both released single albums that each consisted of two songs.

The Asia Artist Awards (AAA) is an award ceremony dedicated to television, film, and music. The AAA is fairly new, as it started in 2016. Some notable K-pop artists who have received this award are EXO (Daesang in 2016 and 2017), BTS (Best Artist Award in 2016), Seventeen (Best Artist Award in 2017), and NCT 127 and Black Pink (Rookie Award in 2016).

The Asia Song Festival (ASF) has been held since 2004. It is a festival that brings singers